Aerin got off her schedule yesterday and we had a very long night. She went to sleep in the early evening and woke up around 2:00 a.m. This is my fault, as I have a very hard time waking her up to eat. This is a legacy from the NICU, where they drill it into you that sleep = growth = health. Also, Aerin hates being woken up. She won't just eat and then go back to sleep - if I wake her up, it's pretty much a guarantee that she'll be up for the next 4 hours. Unfortunately, she woke up during the time when I do the work that I can't do when she's awake and I was right in the middle of an involved project that I couldn't just leave. So after about 3.5 hours of fussing and pacing and rocking and singing and eating, Aerin went back to sleep and I finished my project.
I have to say that the fussiness can be frustrating. Aerin has a very loud voice (she's definitely going to be a singer) and no relieable preference for soothing techniques. We had a week-long period where all I had to do was sit in the rocker with her and she'd stop fussing and drift off to sleep. Now she'll only do that if she's in the right mood. I'm starting to get a little desperate here - we have 3 baby carriers (a Maya Wrap from my friend Jenna and a hip hugger and Baby Bjorn from my friend Amy), two swings, and a massaging bouncy chair. We can really only count on them for 20 minute periods when her mood is right. I don't want to give the impression that I mind holding her - I don't, I love it. I'm just a little tired from staying up all night cleaning (I'm a bit of a neat freak) and from carrying a 12-pound wiggling baby around all day and from the huge volume of laundry that comes with a refluxing baby.
Aerin has recently started imitating sounds and we have "conversations" where she'll imitate my tone of voice. It is the most amazing and precious thing in the world and Aerin just loves it - she smiles and laughs the entire time. Until she suddenly starts to scream. She holds onto her bottle during feedings and will hold her WubbaNub in her mouth. We're going to have to move her to a crib very soon - she's trying to turn over in her bassinet and there just isn't the room. She really is an athletic baby, if there is such a thing.
We're very excited to see Grandma Rita tomorrow.
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Ooooh, those long nights can be so frustrating! Hang in there. It gets better, really it does-- at least the sleeping part. There will always be days (and nights) when you are incredibly frustrated and just wish it would STOP! But in between are those little conversations, smiles, adorable things that make it all worth it; when she won't sleep, you just have to do your best to focus on them and remind yourself that it's not going to last forever. (((hugs))) You're such a wonderful mother. Hang in there! We love you!
-Anne/kq
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